Exodus 31

Willing Artisans

1 s The Lord spoke to Moses:t2 “See, I have chosent Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of Gods in skill,s in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kindst of craftsmanship,4 to make artistic designst for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze,5 and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship.6 Moreover,t I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled,ts that they may maket everything I have commanded you:7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishingst of the tent,8 the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense,9 the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with its base,10 the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests,

11 the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all these things just as I have commanded you.”

Sabbath Observance

12 s The Lord said to Moses,t13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths,s for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.t14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles itt must surely be put to death; indeed,t if anyone doest anyt work on it, then that person will be cut off from among hist people.15 Six dayst work may be done,t but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest,t holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.

17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six dayst the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”s

18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God.s

Exodus 32

The Sin of the Golden Calf

1 s When the people saw that Moses delayedt in coming downt from the mountain, theyt gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up,t make us godst that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses,t the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know whatt has become of him!”
2 So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”s3 So allt the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

4 He accepted the goldt from them,t fashionedt it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf.s Then they said, “These are your gods,t O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5 Whent Aaron saw this,t he built an altar before it,t and Aaron made a proclamationt and said, “Tomorrow will be a feasts to the Lord.”

6 So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink,t and they rose up to play.t
7 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go quickly, descend,t because yours people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly.

8 They have quickly turned asidet from the way that I commanded them – they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”
9 Then the Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people.s Lookt what a stiff-necked people they are!s

10 So now, leave me alonet so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”
11 But Moses sought the favort of the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?12 Whyt should the Egyptians say,t ‘For evilt he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroyt them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relentt of this evil against your people.13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, ‘I will multiply your descendantst like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken aboutt I will give to your descendants,t and they will inherit it forever.’”

14 Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.
15 Moses turned and went down from the mountain witht the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides – they were written on the front and on the back.16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted,s he said to Moses, “It is the sound of war in the camp!”

18 Mosest said, “It is not the sound of those who shout for victory,t nor is it the sound of those who cry because they are overcome,t but the sound of singingt I hear.”s
19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry.t He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain.s

20 He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground itt to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.ts
21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?”22 Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord;s you know these people, that they tend to evil.t23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave itt to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”s
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild,t for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies.t26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, comet to me.”t All the Levites gathered around him,

27 and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Each man fastent his sword on his side, and go back and fortht from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”t
28 The Levites did what Moses ordered,t and that day about three thousand men of the people died.t

29 Moses said, “You have been consecratedt today for the Lord, for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today.”t

30 The next day Moses said to the people,t “You have committed a very serious sin,t but now I will go up to the Lord – perhaps I can make atonementt on behalf of your sin.”
31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin,t and they have made for themselves gods of gold.32 But now, if you will forgive their sin…,t but if not, wipe me outt from your book that you have written.”s33 The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me – that person I will wipe out of my book.

34 So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See,t my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin.”s

35 And the Lord sent a plague on the people because they had made the calft – the one Aaron made.s

Exodus 33

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go upt from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oatht to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’t2 I will send an angels before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.s

3 Go upt to a land flowing with milk and honey. Butt I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy yout on the way.”
4 When the people heard this troubling wordt they mourned;s no one put on his ornaments.5 Fort the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment,t I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments,t that I may knowt what I should do to you.’”t

6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

The Presence of the Lord

7 s Moses tookt the tents and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distancet from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyonet seekingt the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.
8 And when Moses went outt to the tent, all the people would get upt and stand at the entrance to their tentst and watcht Moses until he entered the tent.t9 Andt whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lordt would speak with Moses.t10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship.t

11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face,t the way a person speakst to a friend. Then Mosest would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.s
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’t but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name,t and also you have found favor in my sight.’

13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show met your way, that I may know you,t that I may continue to findt favor in your sight. And seet that this nation is your people.”

14 And the Lordt said, “My presences will go with you,t and I will give you rest.”s
15 And Mosest said to him, “If your presence does not got with us,t do not take us up from here.t

16 For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?”s

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I knowt you by name.”

18 And Mosest said, “Show me your glory.”s
19 And the Lordt said, “I will make all my goodnesss pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by namet before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.”s20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one cant see me and live.”t21 The Lord said, “Heret is a place by me; you will station yourselft on a rock.22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will covers you with my handt while I pass by.t

23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back,t but my face must not be seen.”t