Exode 35

¹ Moses assembled the entire Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do:

² For six days work is to be done, but on the seventh day you are to have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to the Lord. Anyone who does work on it must be executed.

³ Do not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day.”

Note · Exode 35.1–3

Le repos précède même un ouvrage sacré

Le rappel du sabbat intervient avant la collecte et la fabrication. L’interdit d’allumer un feu appartient aux prescriptions du jour de repos dans ce cadre. La gravité de la peine ne se transforme pas en pouvoir punitif donné aux lecteurs actuels ; le passage souligne ici la priorité de la limite reçue.

⁴ Then Moses said to the entire Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded:

⁵ Take up an offering among you for the Lord. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring this as the Lord’s offering: gold, silver, and bronze;

⁶ blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair;

⁷ ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood;

⁸ oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

⁹ and onyx with gemstones to mount on the ephod and breastpiece.

¹⁰ “Let all the skilled artisans among you come and make everything that the Lord has commanded:

¹¹ the tabernacle — its tent and covering, its clasps and supports, its crossbars, its pillars and bases;

¹² the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain for the screen;

¹³ the table with its poles, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence;

¹⁴ the lampstand for light with its utensils and lamps as well as the oil for the light;

¹⁵ the altar of incense with its poles; the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the entryway screen for the entrance to the tabernacle;

¹⁶ the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand;

¹⁷ the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and bases, and the screen for the gate of the courtyard;

¹⁸ the tent pegs for the tabernacle and the tent pegs for the courtyard, along with their ropes;

¹⁹ and the specially woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary — the holy garments for the priest Aaron and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.”

Note · Exode 35.4–19

Nommer les besoins et appeler les compétences

La liste des matériaux est accompagnée d’un appel aux personnes capables de travailler. La contribution ne se réduit pas à l’argent ou aux objets précieux. Le service peut prendre la forme d’une compétence, d’une tâche accomplie ou de la préparation d’un matériau utile aux autres.

²⁰ Then the entire Israelite community left Moses’s presence.

²¹ Everyone whose heart was moved and whose spirit prompted him came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its services, and for the holy garments.

²² Both men and women came; all who had willing hearts brought brooches, earrings, rings, necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry — everyone who presented a presentation offering of gold to the Lord.

²³ Everyone who possessed blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, fine linen or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or fine leather, brought them.

²⁴ Everyone making an offering of silver or bronze brought it as a contribution to the Lord. Everyone who possessed acacia wood useful for any task in the work brought it.

²⁵ Every skilled woman spun yarn with her hands and brought it: blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

²⁶ And all the women whose hearts were moved spun the goat hair by virtue of their skill.

²⁷ The leaders brought onyx and gemstones to mount on the ephod and breastpiece,

²⁸ as well as the spice and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

²⁹ So the Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts prompted them to bring something for all the work that the Lord, through Moses, had commanded to be done.

Note · Exode 35.20–29

Des dons portés par une volonté libre

Le récit insiste sur le cœur disposé et nomme la participation des femmes, notamment au filage. La diversité des contributions contraste avec les exigences sans fin de l’Égypte. La communauté ne doit pas faire de cette générosité une compétition de prestige ou une contrainte pesant sur les plus pauvres.

³⁰ Moses then said to the Israelites: “Look, the Lord has appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

³¹ He has filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every kind of craft

³² to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze,

³³ to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every kind of artistic craft.

³⁴ He has also given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.

³⁵ He has filled them with skill to do all the work of a gem cutter; a designer; an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen; and a weaver. They can do every kind of craft and design artistic designs.

Note · Exode 35.30–35

Le don de transmettre une habileté

Betsaleel et Oholiab ne sont pas seulement capables de fabriquer : ils peuvent aussi enseigner. Le savoir-faire ne reste donc pas une possession qui assure l’indispensabilité de quelques-uns. Le texte reconnaît une fécondité du travail quand d’autres deviennent eux aussi capables de participer.