Exodus 31

Bezalel and Oholiab

¹Then the Lord said to Moses, ²“See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— ⁴to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ⁵to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. ⁶Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him.

“I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you:

⁷“the tent of meeting,

the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it,

and all the other furnishings of the tent—

⁸the table and its articles,

the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories,

the altar of incense,

⁹the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils,

the basin with its stand—

¹⁰and also the woven garments,

both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest

and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests,

¹¹and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place.

“They are to make them just as I commanded you.”

The Sabbath

¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹³“Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

¹⁴“ ‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. ¹⁵For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. ¹⁶The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. ¹⁷It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”

¹⁸When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.