Sinai & The Law

I have filled him with the Spirit of God - with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry.

He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze,

cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft.

"I have also appointed as his assistant Oholi'av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan. Moreover, I have endowed all the craftsmen with the wisdom to make everything I have ordered you -

the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, the ark-cover above it, all the furnishings of the tent,

the table and its utensils, the pure menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar,

the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, the basin and its base,

the garments for officiating, the holy garments for Aharon the cohen and the garments for his sons, so that they can serve in the office of cohen,

the anointing oil and the incense of aromatic spices for the Holy Place: they are to make everything just as I have ordered you."

ADONAI said to Moshe,

"Tell the people of Isra'el, 'You are to observe my Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am ADONAI, who sets you apart for me.

Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people.

On six days work will get done; but the seventh day is Shabbat, for complete rest, set apart for ADONAI. Whoever does any work on the day of Shabbat must be put to death.

The people of Isra'el are to keep the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a perpetual covenant.

It is a sign between me and the people of Isra'el forever; for in six days ADONAI made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested.'"

When he had finished speaking with Moshe on Mount Sinai, ADONAI gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

When the people saw that Moshe was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aharon and said to him, "Get busy; and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt - we don't know what has become of him."

Aharon said to them, "Have your wives, sons and daughters strip off their gold earrings; and bring them to me."

The people stripped off their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon.

He received what they gave him, melted it down, and made it into the shape of a calf. They said, "Isra'el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!"

On seeing this, Aharon built an altar in front of it and proclaimed, "Tomorrow is to be a feast for ADONAI."

Early the next morning they got up and offered burnt offerings and presented peace offerings. Afterwards, the people sat down to eat and drink; then they got up to indulge in revelry.

ADONAI said to Moshe, "Go down! Hurry! Your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have become corrupt!

So quickly they have turned aside from the way I ordered them to follow! They have cast a metal statue of a calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it and said, 'Isra'el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"

ADONAI continued speaking to Moshe: "I have been watching these people; and you can see how stiffnecked they are.