Bible / Exodus
Exodus 31
Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision (1749–1752), the traditional Catholic English Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate. If you read a modern Bible, this is the same Scripture in older English; some names are spelled differently (Cesarea for Caesarea, Apocalypse for Revelation). About this translation
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2 Behold, I have called by name Beseleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Juda,
3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding, and knowledge in all manner of work,
4 To devise whatsoever may be artificially made of gold, and silver, and brass,
5 Of marble, and precious stones, and variety of wood.
6 And I have given him for his companion Ooliab, the son of Achisamech, of the tribe of Dan. And I have put wisdom in the heart of every skilful man, that they may make all things which I have commanded thee,
7 The tabernacle of the covenant, and the ark of the testimony, and the propitiatory, that is over it, and all the vessels of the tabernacle,
8 And the table and the vessels thereof, the most pure candlestick with the vessels thereof, and the altars of incense,
9 And of holocaust, and all their vessels, the laver with its foot,
10 The holy vestments in the ministry for Aaron the priest, and for his sons, that they may execute their office, about the sacred things:
11 The oil of unction, and the incense of spices in the sanctuary, all things which I have commanded thee, shall they make.
12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
13 Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: See that you keep my sabbath; because it is a sign between me and you in your generations that you may know that I am the Lord, who sanctify you.
14 keep you my sabbath: for it is holy unto you: he that shall profane it, shall be put to death: he that shall do any work in it, his soul shall perish out of the midst of his people.
15 Six days shall you do work: in the seventh day is the sabbath, the rest holy to the Lord. Every one that shall do any work on this day, shall die.
16 Let the children of Israel keep the sabbath, and celebrate it in their generations.
17 It is an everlasting covenant, and a perpetual sign between me and the children of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and in the seventh he ceased from work.
18 And the Lord, when he had ended these words in Mount Sinai, gave to Moses two stone tables of testimony, written with the finger of God.
This chapter in the Catechism and the early Church
Where the Catechism of the Catholic Church cites these verses (from its footnotes on vatican.va), and where the earliest Church Fathers quote them (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, public domain). Short quotes only; follow the links for the full text. The Catechism uses modern verse numbers, so these are listed by chapter.
- Exodus 31:15 in modern BiblesCCC 2168
Read the Catechism
- CCC 2168 “The third commandment of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath: "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy…”
- Exodus 31:16 in modern BiblesCCC 2171
Read the Catechism
- CCC 2171 “God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of the irrevocable covenant. The sabbath is for the Lord, holy…”
- Exodus 31:17 in modern BiblesCCC 2172
Read the Catechism
- CCC 2172 “God's action is the model for human action. If God "rested and was refreshed" on the seventh day, man too ought to…”
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 700 “The finger. "It is by the finger of God that [Jesus] cast out demons." If God's law was written on tablets of…”
- CCC 2056 “The word "Decalogue" means literally "ten words." God revealed these "ten words" to his people on the holy mountain. They were written…”
- CCC 2058 “The "ten words" sum up and proclaim God's law: "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out…”
“For the Scripture saith, "And Moses was fasting in the mount forty days and forty nights, and received the covenant from the Lord, tables of stone written with the finger of the hand of the Lord;”
Quoted in The Letter of Barnabas, Unknown author (early 2nd century), Chapter IV. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
“For the prophet declares, "And Moses was fasting forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai, that he might receive the testament of the Lord for the people." And he received from the Lord”
Quoted in The Letter of Barnabas, Unknown author (early 2nd century), Chapter XIV. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
A modern English Catholic translation will be added once its publisher grants permission.